Grass eradicator



S. C. NELSON GRASS ERADICATOR June 5, E923.

Filed April '7, 1922 2 Sheecs-Sheet l A! l N V EN TOR. W)

` A TTORNE Y.

terial to the cylinder and Fatented fune 5, i923..

STEVEN C. NELSON, OF FINLEY, NORTH DAKOTA.

Gnass nnnnroaron.

Application led April 7,

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, STEVEN C. NnLsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Finley, in the county of Steele and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grass Eradicators,\of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to deleterious weed eradicators, more particularly for eradicat-y ing quack grass and the like, and has one of its objects to provide an apparatus whereby the objectional growths after being excavated together with the earth clinging to the roots, are separated the earth being returned to the ground and the growths deposited in a receptacle from which they may be removed and destroyed.

Another obj ect of the invention is to provide a device of this character including a slatted cylinder, a swinging concave device yieldably supported and having retarding slats, means for feeding the excavated maconcave device, and a yieldable balile member between the feeding means and the cylinder.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and inthe drawings illustra -tive of the preferred embodiment of the Fig. 1 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the rear portion of the improved apparatus.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of a portion of the cylinder, feed conveyors, concave, and baiiie members illustrating the construction more fully.

Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the swinging concave device.

Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of the swinging baffle device.

rlhe improved apparatus comprises a supporting frame, represented as a whole at l() and supported on traction wheels 11, and

axle 12 near the rear end of the frame.

Rising from the frame rearwardly of the center, is a housing or shell 20, and mounted for rotation upon the forward end of the housing 2O is a transverse shaft 29.

Swinging upon the shaft 29 are side members 33, in spaced relation, and mounted for rotation in the sides 33 is a shaft 34. The

Serial No. 550,458.

shafts 29 and 34 carry drums over which endless slatted belts 37 and 38 operate, the it-Iwo belts being arranged in parallel relaion.

Mounted for rotation on the housing is a shaft 44, and mounted on the shaft is a drum or cylinder having marginal slats or blades 46.

rlhe slatted cylinder operates through an opening in the upper side of the housing 20, and bearing over the upper side of the cylinder is a hood or shield 47 preferably hlngedly coupled at one side as at 48 to the housing, to render the upper portion of the kcylinder freely accessible when required.

Pivoted at 49 within the housing near the conveyor device is a concave member, preferably formed of a sheet of metal 59 with a portion curved to conform substantially to the curvature of the cylinder 45. The sheet 50 is downturned at lthe edges as shown at 51 to stiffen and strengthen it, and is likewise' formed with relatively large openings 52. y

Formed in the curved portion of the plate 50 are a plurality of elongated LJ-shaped clefts whereby fins or blades 53 are released and bent up as shown, to form retarders coacting with the slats 46 of the cylinder.

Extending between the sides of the housing 2O is a supporting bar 54, and supported in the bar is a bolt 55, the latter pivoted at its upper end at 56, to the concaved member and surrounded by the spring 57. this means the concave member is yieldably supported at its free end. I

Pivoted at 58 to the housing member 20 near the discharge end of thebelt 38, is a baiile plate 59 projecting towardthe cylinder 45 and normally bridging the gap between the cylinder and the discharge ends of the elevator belts 37 and 38.

Attached to the front wall of the housing 2O isI a guide member 60, and slidable through the said guide is a rod 6l p-ivoted at 62 at its upper end to the baffle member 59, with a compression spring 63 surrounding the rod and operating to yieldably maintain it in elevated position.

Disposed within the housing 2O near its lower portion, is a horizontal rack 64 formed with transverse ribs 65, and a plurality of shorter inclined racks 66 having transverse ribs 67. The main horizontal rack 64 is supported by rocker arms 68. The interradiusr bars 74., At their lower ends the mediate arm 68 is connected to a transverserocler shaft 69 and attachedto `this shaft Iis a depending arm 70.

Mounted for rotation beneath the frame l() is a transverse shaft 7l Ahaving a ,cra-nl;r wheel 7l at one end coupledby a rod 72 to thearm 70. c

At their lower ends the inclined rack members 66 are supported on rocker arms 3 and suspended at their upper ends by I rocker .barsr are connectedby ay rod 75.

i p The rocker arms 68 at the rearend of the horizontal rack member 64C is extendedv upr wardly as at 76 and coupled by a rod 77'v to the rod 75.

1 l yBy this means the` rotationv ,oftheqshaft 71 will communicate the necessaryvibrav tory movement to the rack. v

.A motorof suitable strength and powerwill be employed, and indicated convention- Y Vall-y at 90, andvcoupled by suitable means,

such asbelts or chains 91and pulleys v92 f ,fand 93 vto theshaft Idiot the cylinder 415,

and by belt 95 to the drive shaft l71.

As-themachine is drawn; forward by any Y suitable power,` the noxious growths are fed.' ,together `with the soil. adhering to the i rootsv into the spacebetween the conveyor belts 37,k and 38. ,'Ihematerial discharged. over thev upper orftail?7 end of the elevators as it is deposited 0n the baffle member 59 and' Lonj into the Apaths of the slats,

Where it is effectually disintegrated first by the coaction ofthe blades and the baffle `member 59 and also by the `coaction of the blades 4.6 and the retarderl blades 16.v ,The

, clods of grass and like-material as theyare l fed overy the baffle member 59 are caught bythe slats 46, and'thrown against` the re `tarding members 53vandthoroughlyand ef-r fectually. disintegrated and` thefroots .and

grass or other stalks separated ffrom the earth and thelatter sifted through. the openings inthe concave. member uponthe` rap-` idlyy vibrating rack members, and carried v thence `to vthe rear vand discharged into a wagon orl other, receptacle `not shown.

. The springs 63 and 57 will *be of suficient strength to resist the passage of ordinary materialpbut in event vof large stones or the like vbeing gathered up by the eX- y, cavator, Vthe baille member 59 and, the concave member '5l will yieldl and permit such articles to pass through without breaking theslats 46 or 58. l The improved.V device is simple in constructioml can beV constructed of. any size or of anysuitable material. .n

The preferred embodiment of the inven-I tion is disclosed in', the. drawings. and set "it forth in the specification, butit vwill lbe unv y .ture hereto.

derstood that modifications within the ,scope off the Iclaimed invention may be made Y. in

the construction Without departing fromy .to the cylinder and `concave, device, n, and'v a baffle member yieldably supported between the feeding means and the cylinder.`

2. In a machine of the classdescribed, a

slatted cylinder mountedy for rotation, a concave device having 4 alternating slots"` and retardinglinscoactingl with the slatsbf thek cylinder, means for swingingly,supporting said concave device at oneend, nieansfffo-r yieldably supporting said concave device 'at the other end, coactingfslatted vbelts in Ispaced relationand operating to feed ma` terial to the cylinder, and abaflleumember yieldably supported between the feeding means and the cylinder. f 3. In a machine oftheclass described, slatted cylinder mounted for rotation, ac onf cave device having iretairding. line` coacting with the slats of` the cylinder, coacting slatted belts in spaced relation'v and l'operating to feed material to thecylinder, abaftle member yieldably supported, between ,the feeding means and they cylinder, and rack devices to receive the material discharged from the cylinder and the concave'device.

4l. In -a machine of the class des`cribeda vsupporting frame, aslatted cylinder mount-r ed for lrotation, on said frame in positionjto receive the kmaterial tourbe treated, a ,con-y cave device including a vplurality fof rtard-k 1 l ing fins coacting withsaid cylinder, afbale member between the Y'discharge of the 'conveyor belts and the cylinder, mean'snfor yieldably supporting said conca-vef device,

yandmeans for yieldably supporting. said' baffle member. v

5. In a machine of theclass described, a slatted cylinder mounted fr rotatiori,; a vconcave device having retardingfinscoacting with the slats of the cylinder, means for 1 swingingly supportingl said concave*` device at one end, means for YyieldablyV supporting 'said concave device atfthe other ,end,; means for l feeding material 'tothe cylinder and concave device, and a battle member yieldably` supported between'the feeding :means andthe cylinder. e Y

Inv testimony whereof, I alii); my signas TEYEN c.v NELspN. 

